About
Desmond Muirhead was so inventive in his designs that he created golf holes shaped like mermaids and fish, and once even coined the phrase “golf course community,” changing how golf and housing developments are integrated.
Desmond Muirhead (1923–2002) was a highly influential golf course architect, renowned for blending landscape architecture with bold creativity. Born in Norwich, England, and educated at Cambridge, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Oregon, he began his career as a community planner before moving into golf design in the early 1960s. Muirhead was a pioneer in integrating golf courses with residential developments, a concept that transformed the shape of many modern golfing communities. He is best known for co-designing the acclaimed Muirfield Village in Ohio with Jack Nicklaus and for the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills in California. Later in his career, Muirhead became known for imaginative, controversial features such as mermaid- and fish-shaped holes, exemplified at Stone Harbor Golf Club. His avant-garde approach left a distinct mark on the evolution of golf course design during a period of major industry growth.
